Plus: College Football Teams, Desperate For Cash To Pay Players, Are Rushing To Add Premium Seats |
Good morning,
The fallout from President Donald Trump’s tariff policies is creating chaos among global postal services.This week, Mexico, Japan and Australia joined a growing list of countries halting the shipment of packages to the U.S. temporarily due to the elimination of the “de minimis” rule, which allowed items valued at $800 or less to enter the country without paying duties or certain taxes. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have attempted to close the loophole, which has in part fueled the rise of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein. According to the Universal Postal Union, a United Nations agency, 25 of its members have suspended postal shipments to the U.S., expressing concerns about “operational disruption.”
Let’s get into the headlines, |
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| Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sued President Donald Trump over what she described as an “unprecedented and illegal attempt” to fire her from the central bank’s Board of Governors. The lawsuit kicks off a legal battle over how much control the president can exert over the Federal Reserve, and it’s widely expected that the dispute will reach the Supreme Court. Several fintechs like Betterment and Rocket Money may pass new fees for bank account connection onto their customers, after JPMorgan Chase warned months ago they’d start charging the data aggregators for access to consumers’ accounts. The CEO of fintech startup Monarch Money told Forbes that banks shouldn’t put up barriers to people wanting to monitor their finances. “If the whole industry starts to follow this, I think we are going backwards as a financial ecosystem in this country,” said Val Agostino. |
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| As the college football season begins in earnest on Saturday, universities like Auburn are giving their home fields a facelift. Last fall, Auburn unveiled three new premium seating options for its football games. Building out a club and five field-level suites cost $1.6 million, but the project immediately paid dividends, with tickets selling out in three days and grossing $1.2 million in revenue. Meanwhile, Arizona State’s Mountain America Stadium has new field-level boxes priced at $20,000 for four season tickets while tiny James Madison has installed four field-level suites. And more changes are in store for future seasons, at schools like Ohio State, Penn State and Ole Miss. The wave of construction reflects a new financial reality in college football that began with the NCAA’s rule changes in 2021 to allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, kicking off a nationwide arms race. The ante is being significantly raised this year in the wake of a June settlement in the House v. NCAA antitrust case, under which programs will be free to pay their athletes directly—up to $20.5 million per school in 2025-26. “Everyone in college athletics is trying to find ways to increase revenue streams to fully fund revenue sharing without sacrificing operational costs,” says Rhett Hobart, Auburn’s deputy athletics director for external affairs. And “when you’re looking at driving the most incremental revenue the quickest, your best way to do that is through premium seating. The demand is there, and the returns are immediate.” |
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| “The looming expense of revenue sharing with players is forcing college athletic departments—already straining under millions in debt—to rethink their business models, and many are turning to premium seating as the fastest and most scalable revenue stream,” says Forbes reporter Sofia Chierchio. “The shift underscores a broader transformation in college sports, where maintaining competitiveness increasingly depends on tapping into fans' wallets.” |
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| In the latest controversy at the CDC, staffers and former leadership walked out of the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, protesting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s public health policies and the controversial firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez. One of the CDC leaders who resigned earlier this week urged during the walkout to “get the politics out of public health,” and another said CDC leadership “reached a tipping point.” |
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| If things seem slow at your local movie theater, it probably is due to a lack of big blockbuster releases on the horizon—and September and October aren’t looking much better. Every weekend in August has grossed less than the corresponding weekend from August 2024, and Comscore box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Forbes there may be a “few fallow weeks at the box office” before November and December bring anticipated sequels like Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash. |
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| Fall is in the air (at least in New York City), and whether you’re seeking a ski trip in Montana or a beach getaway, there’s a slate of new hotels opening that redefine luxury travel this season. Forbes Travel Guide’s most anticipated hotel openings include the Faena New York in the city’s Chelsea neighborhood, Conrad’s first German hotel in a landmark building in Hamburg, and a nature-inspired retreat from 1 Hotels in Tokyo’s Akasaka district. After an equipment outage led to a temporary ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday, an air traffic control supervisor blasted the FAA for management “akin to criminal negligence.” The ground stop caused hundreds of flight delays, as the FAA’s aging technology has experienced equipment outages and communications failures at airports around the country for years. |
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| Americans are split on their opinions of President Donald Trump’s takeover of local police and deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., polls show. But many view crime as a persistent problem in major cities, even as crime is down this year. The surveys highlight the fine line Democrats must walk as they respond to Trump’s efforts without dismissing voters’ concerns. |
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| Presented by Forbes Vetted | | The Best Labor Day Sales So Far |  | | Our deals editors scoured the internet to find the best Labor Day sales you can shop right now, including up to 40% off thousands of products at Amazon, up to 30% off outdoor gear at REI and more. | |
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| The 2025 NFL season kicks off next Thursday, and by the end of the regular season, games will have aired on nine different channels and streaming platforms. It’s become increasingly expensive to watch NFL games as the league has sold broadcasting rights across cable channels, broadcast networks and streaming services: |
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Over $750 | The amount it would cost in subscriptions to watch every game | |
| 218 of 272 | The number of games that will air on traditional network channels ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC | |
| 50% | The share of Americans who have cut the cord with cable TV providers |
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| If you’re later in your career and behind on retirement savings, there are still steps you can take to catch up. Start by targeting high-paying jobs that are friendly to older workers—you probably have a deeper professional network than most, don’t shy away from using it to connect with hiring decision-makers. Develop multiple income streams, and consider moving to a lower-cost area to stretch your savings. |
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